Melophagus ovinus

Melophagus ovinus

Melophagus spp
Kingdom	Animalia
Phylum	Arthropoda
Class	Insecta
Order	Diptera
Family	Hippoboscidae
Genus	Melophagus
Species	M. ovinus

Also known as:

Sheep Ked

Hosts

Sheep.

Identification

The adults are hairy, brown and around 6mm in length. They have an segemented abdomen, and are wingless. M. ovinus has blood sucking mouthparts, and claws on the ends of the legs, designed to hold on to the host. They are dorso-ventrally flattened.

Life Cycle

They are permanent ectoparasites, feeding on the host. The female fly produce a single larvae at a time, and the larvae are held back until they are ready to pupate. The larvae then undergo three larval stages before becoming fully developed. Pupation of the larvae occurs, and they are clearly seen on the fleeces of the sheep. These then later emerge as adults.